Table 1.
Enrollment characteristics by adipokine levels above and below the median value (n = 1,299)*
| Characteristic | Low adiponectin | High adiponectin | Low leptin | High leptin | Low FGF-21 | High FGF-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean ± SD years | 70.8 ± 10.7† | 72.5 ± 10.2† | 72.2 ± 10.3† | 71.1 ± 10.6† | 71.5 ± 11.0 | 71.8 ± 9.9 |
| Female | 147 (11) | 153 (12) | 65 (5)† | 235 (18)† | 166 (13)† | 134 (10)† |
| Black | 233 (18)† | 177 (14)† | 175 (13)† | 235 (18)† | 253 (20)† | 157 (12)† |
| Current smoking | 311 (25) | 313 (25) | 405 (32)† | 219 (18)† | 280 (22)† | 344 (27)† |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 29.5 (5.9)† | 28.2 (5.7)† | 26.1 (4.3)† | 31.6 (5.8)† | 28.3 (5.5)† | 29.4 (6.1)† |
| % change max BMI, median (IQR) | 5.9 (1.9–12.1)† | 6.9 (2.8–14.7)† | 7.5 (3.2–15.2)† | 5.2 (1.6–11.5)† | 6.5 (2.4–13.2) | 6.2 (2.2–13.4) |
| RA characteristics | ||||||
| DAS28 score | 3.7 (1.5) | 3.6 (1.4) | 3.7 (1.5)† | 3.5 (1.4)† | 3.5 (1.4)† | 3.7 (1.5)† |
| MD-HAQ score, median (IQR) | 0.8 (0.4–1.3) | 0.8 (0.4–1.3) | 0.8 (0.4–1.3) | 0.8 (0.4–1.3) | 0.8 (0.3–1.3)† | 0.9 (0.4–1.3)† |
| Erosive disease | 434 (47)† | 546 (55)† | 510 (52) | 470 (50) | 479 (51) | 501 (52) |
| Nodules | 299 (35) | 343 (35) | 345 (38)† | 297 (32)† | 296 (33)† | 346 (37)† |
| RF positive | 872 (78) | 962 (77) | 937 (79)† | 897 (75)† | 876 (75)† | 958 (79)† |
| ACPA positive | 871 (78) | 972 (78) | 914 (77) | 929 (78) | 888 (76) | 955 (79) |
| Disease duration, median (IQR) years | 6.4 (1.7–14.6)† | 9.3 (2.9–19.2)† | 7.7 (2.3–17.2) | 7.6 (2.4–16.2) | 6.9 (2.0–15.9)† | 8.5 (2.6–18.0)† |
| hsCRP, median (IQR) mg/dl | 5.4 (2.3–13.8)† | 5.0 (1.9–10.8)† | 5.2 (1.9–13.7) | 5.3 (2.2–10.9) | 4.7 (1.8–11.2)† | 5.7 (2.3–12.9)† |
| Methotrexate | 667 (51) | 673 (52) | 674 (52) | 666 (51) | 719 (55)† | 621 (48)† |
| Glucocorticoids | 420 (32) | 466 (36) | 440 (34) | 446 (34) | 448 (35) | 438 (34) |
| TNF inhibitors | 315 (24) | 343 (26) | 326 (25) | 332 (26) | 331 (26) | 327 (25) |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 372 (29)† | 471 (36)† | 375 (29)† | 468 (36)† | 455 (35)† | 388 (30)† |
| Enrolled after 2010 | 708 (55)† | 568 (44)† | 698 (54)† | 578 (45)† | 653 (50) | 623 (50) |
| Comorbidity | ||||||
| RDCI score, median (IQR) | 3 (2–5) | 3 (2–5) | 3 (2–5)† | 4 (2–5)† | 3 (2–5)† | 4 (2–5)† |
| VTE | 38 (3) | 47 (4) | 35 (3) | 50 (4) | 38 (3) | 47 (4) |
| HF hospitalization | 97 (7) | 103 (8) | 79 (6)† | 121 (9)† | 81 (6)† | 119 (9)† |
| Stroke | 63 (5) | 77 (6) | 69 (5) | 71 (5) | 67 (5) | 73 (6) |
| CAD | 146 (11) | 121 (9) | 124 (10) | 143 (11) | 121 (9) | 146 (11) |
| Any CVD‡ | 279 (21) | 274 (21) | 249 (19)† | 304 (23)† | 250 (19)† | 303 (23)† |
| COPD/asthma | 444 (34) | 463 (36) | 429 (33)† | 478 (37)† | 418 (32)† | 489 (38)† |
| Diabetes mellitus | 478 (37)† | 384 (30)† | 371 (29)† | 491 (38)† | 396 (31)† | 466 (36)† |
| Osteoarthritis | 1,081 (83) | 1,089 (84) | 1,050 (81)† | 1,120 (86)† | 1,085 (84) | 1,085 (84) |
| Hypertension | 951 (73)† | 897 (69)† | 848 (65)† | 1,000 (77)† | 873 (67)† | 975 (75)† |
| Hyperlipidemia | 1,076 (83)† | 1,020 (80)† | 988 (77)† | 1,108 (86)† | 1,014 (79)† | 1,082 (84)† |
| Vascular disease | 174 (13) | 174 (13) | 165 (13) | 183 (14) | 154 (12)† | 194 (15)† |
| Liver disorder | 185 (14) | 196 (15) | 157 (12)† | 224 (17)† | 171 (13)† | 210 (16)† |
| Any neoplasm | 630 (49) | 663 (51) | 606 (47)† | 687 (53)† | 609 (47)† | 684 (53)† |
| Spine disease | 641 (49)† | 705 (54)† | 627 (48)† | 719 (55)† | 666 (51) | 680 (52) |
| Osteoporosis | 256 (20)† | 302 (23)† | 279 (21) | 279 (21) | 270 (21) | 288 (22) |
Values are the number (%) unless indicated otherwise. Each column represents 50% (n = 1,299) of the total number of veterans who had adipokines measured at baseline. ACPA = anti–citrullinated protein antibody; BMI = body mass index; CAD = coronary artery disease; COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CVD = cardiovascular disease; DAS28 = Disease Activity Score in 28 joints; FGF-21 = fibroblast growth factor 21; HF = heart failure; hsCRP = high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; IQR = interquartile range; MD-HAQ = Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire; RA = rheumatoid arthritis; RDCI = Rheumatic Disease Comorbidity Index; RF = rheumatoid factor; TNF = tumor necrosis factor; VTE = venous thromboembolism.
Significant difference (P < 0.05) between high/low adipokine groups (see Supplementary Tables 3–5, available on the Arthritis Care & Research website at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acr.24885, for exact P values).
Composite CVD prevalence corresponds to the prevalence of at least 1 of VTE, HF hospitalization, stroke, and/or CAD.